Thursday, June 17, 2010

What We Wore: Charming Charlie Score!

I told you all about The Big Fat Texas Wedding on Monday, but Kathlyn was observant enough to notice that I didn't post a photo of myself. There are many reasons, one of them being that I just don't like having my picture taken lately. But I figure that one photo, carefully cropped (and unfortunately NOT Photoshopped because I don't have Photoshop) couldn't hurt.

Before I share that with you, I thought I'd tell you about what I ended up wearing for the wedding. I found everything except the jewelry and bag in my own closet!

I don't think you can ever go wrong with a little black dress, especially for a more formal wedding...and so I settled on the dress I wore in my brother-in-law's wedding in 2008. I was pleasantly surprised that I still fit in it without having to purchase any "scary knickers," as Bridget Jones would say. I also had a sheer black wrap from a cruise a few years ago, and some cute yet delicate looking Sam and Libby peep- toe slingback heels.

On to accessories, my favorite part....

My mom and I spent a very long two hours in our local Charming Charlie shop. I love shopping, and I love CC, but shopping with my mom can be somewhat of an ordeal. She can take ages to hem and haw over choosing an item and then ends up not buying it.

If you're not familiar with Charming Charlie (I am not in any way affiliated with them or being compensated for this review, I just like the store!), it's a really cool shop that carries fashion accessories that are all organized by color!

I am a fairly quick and decisive shopper. I knew within a few minutes that some lovely canary yellow pieces would be coming home with me.

With head to toe black and dark hair, I knew that some pops of yellow would be really pretty.

My mom, on the other hand, wandered around the store like a lost street urchin for the better part of an hour. After some advice, pleading, and bullying, I convinced her that she needed to step outside of her comfort zone and try something new and trendy. I wasn't expecting her to go to Texas looking like one of those older moms who tries (and fails) to pass for a twenty-something. I just wanted to expand her horizons a little bit.

I badgered her until she gave in and purchased an appropriately sparkly necklace, earrings, and bracelet to wear to the bridal luncheon I wrote about. Here she is, second from the left:

You can't see the bracelet because I cropped the picture (bleh), but also because she refused to wear it. I guess a leopard can't change her spots, huh?

At any rate, CC is a fabulously fun store to wander through if you have some free time. I tried once with the girls, and it was like taking a couple of raccoons in there. Raccoons who are drawn to irresistibly adorable and afforable jewelry. Big mistake. I visit CC by myself now!

As I said before, everything is laid out by color, and the pieces won't make your wallet cry!

(That's $12.97 for a necklace and earrings!)

A word to the wise, this stuff is priced low because it is just stuff. Certainly not a store to shop for heirloom jewelry, or even really jewelry you'd wear beyond a season or two. But if you're in a pinch for something fun, colorful, and affordable...and you can't wait for something to ship to you, Charming Charlie might just do the trick!

With The Frizz a very real threat, I opted for a low side ponytail, and tied it back with an elastic that had a black rose flower thingie on it. Not bad....and my new yellow clutch looked fab with all the "diamonds" on our table during the wedding reception:

It turned out that SuSu (my sister-in-law) also hit the CC. Don't you love her headband? Simple, but chic!

YAY!!! You did the ponytail! You look SO chic & cute :-) Love it! I loooooove the yellow necklace you scored too! Don't kill me but I have yet to go to CC yet even though everyone & their mama has gone & I hear about it all the time. I thought it was going to be more expenisve though, I'm going to have to make a special trip to go now. The only place I've really been to in the new area of the towne center is Muvico. Have you been to it yet? The Free Lance star is the sponsor of it & they have a really swanky bar/lounge above the theater. V works at FLS so we got the hook up one night w/ all his co-workers & got free appetizers & drinks & got to go in the balcony where they have leather seats & stuff, the tickets are a little pricier but it's nice for a date night or girls night out every once in a while. :-)

I love accessories! :) You look so fab in these pictures. I love jewelry, handbags, etc. But I'm broke so I don't buy anything new very often. I like to shop at Target and Kohl's for accessories. Nothing fancy.

We don't have a Charming Charlie's. I hate that because it looks fabulous!!! I love that it's laid out by color!!!!! That rocks!

I adore black and yellow - on other people anyway. Yellow makes me look like a corpse with reddish hair. Love that clutch too! Sooo cute! You look so cute with your hair pulled back like that. Love your SIL's headband too!

We have Charming Charlies here in Houston too. There is one right by my hair place so I always make it a point to pop in and see what's new. I like to browse Nordstrom's jewelry- some is pretty pricey but I like to see what they have and sometimes find a good deal.

combination players? I do know there are actually dvd/vcr players. Are there any players which will perform both dvds as well as blu-rays that I can acquire instead of paying for a couple of independent players?

This is Me

I'm a stay-at-home mom of three kids, a fluffy Pomeranian, and a rambunctious German Shepherd puppy. Happily married to T. We live in Virginia, but I secretly dream of what it would be like to have a place in NYC to escape to for random girls' shopping weekends. Target is my home away from home. I stay sane by doing creative projects around my home and taking lots of pictures. Stick around for realistic inspiration...on a budget!

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